Strategy soon for facilitating small, big industries

Minister says youth will be given loans on easy terms

LAHORE: The province of Punjab is taking immediate steps for the promotion of small and big industries and a coordinated strategy will be designed soon for the purpose, said Punjab Minister for Industries, Commerce and Investment Mian Aslam Iqbal.

“The national economy will be strengthened through the promotion of industries where vocational education holds high importance,” he said.

He was speaking at the “International Engineering & Machinery Asia” exhibition on Saturday. He along with Provincial Minister for School Education Murad Raas inaugurated the three-day fair where 300 stalls had been set up and businessmen from 11 countries were participating.

Iqbal called such exhibitions a source of promoting the domestic industry and exports.

“Under the upcoming strategy, loans will be extended to the youth on soft terms and special attention will be paid to providing a trained labour force according to needs of the market,” he said.

Iqbal was of the view that without provision of facilities to investors, revamp of tax system and reduction in input costs, exports could not be increased.



“All necessary steps will be taken for this purpose which will be focused on providing facilities for domestic and foreign investors,” he said, emphasising that the new government’s 100-day plan would be fully implemented.

The school education minister said such exhibitions were helpful for the promotion of tourism, adding Pakistan would have to provide opportunities for foreign investors.

“The education department is imparting technical education to students in government schools; national economy will be strengthened with the promotion of technical education,” he said.



Besides domestic investors, businessmen from Italy, Switzerland, Germany, USA, the UK, Iran and other countries were participating in the exhibition.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 2^nd, 2018.

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